Cult film director David Lynch revealed this week that he is now housebound due to a debilitating lung disease called emphysema, meaning he can no longer appear on set.
The 78-year-old Hollywood legend is battling severe shortness of breath, one of the main symptoms of the disease, and said: “I can’t go outside and can only walk a short distance before I run out of oxygen.”
And Lynch, who directed the series Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet, is not alone: millions of people in Britain and the United States live with a diagnosis of emphysema.
But what is more worrying is that many millions more people are believed to be suffering from this deadly disease without knowing it.
So what are the warning signs? Could you be suffering from emphysema and not know it?
Hollywood legend David Lynch is battling severe breathlessness, one of the key symptoms of COPD, and said: “I can’t go outside and can only walk a short distance before I run out of oxygen.”
Lynch, who directed the series Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet, pictured above, is not alone: millions of people in Britain and the US live with a diagnosis of emphysema.
Emphysema is one of two main diseases that make up chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The other is chronic bronchitis.
Overall, 1.2 million people in the UK are known to have COPD, causing one in eight hospital admissions and 30,000 deaths each year.
In the United States, more than 11 million people are living with a diagnosis of COPD, although doctors say these numbers are just the tip of the iceberg.
Emphysema occurs when the tiny alveoli (or air sacs) inside the lungs become damaged and stop working properly.
Chronic bronchitis is a long-term inflammation of the airways, and many people have both problems, so they are not referred to by the same term.
One in four patients has NEVER smoked
The main cause of COPD is smoking, and David Lynch admitted it His love of cigarettes was probably behind his condition.
He told Sight and Sound Magazine: ‘Smoking was something I loved, but in the end it bit me.
‘For me it was part of the artistic life: tobacco and the smell of it, lighting things up and smoking and coming back and sitting and smoking a cigarette and looking at my work or thinking about things.
“There is nothing like it in this world that is so beautiful. In the meantime, it’s killing me.”
But one in four people who develop COPD have never smoked.
Secondhand smoke, air pollution, exposure to dust, fumes and chemicals in the workplace, and a genetic condition called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) are also risk factors.
Diagnosis is most common in people over age 40, however irreversible damage is thought to occur gradually and may begin much earlier.
Do you have a never-ending cough? Get yourself checked out…
Common early warning symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing up phlegm or chest pain that won’t go away, wheezing or chest tightness, fatigue or tiredness, and frequent chest infections.
Because of these problems, people may find that they have to change their daily activities and become less active.
Doctors say symptoms like these shouldn’t be dismissed as “just part of aging” and should always be monitored.
Although there is no cure for COPD, the earlier the diagnosis is made, the sooner treatment can be started that can relieve the worst symptoms and even slow the progression of the disease.
In addition to quitting smoking, COPD patients are advised to take extra precautions to protect themselves from respiratory infections such as influenza and Covid.
Even simple colds can be made much worse by existing problems in the lungs and there is an increased risk of pneumonia, which is a potentially fatal bacterial infection.
COPD patients are advised to ensure that they are up to date with all vaccinations. It is also essential to avoid second-hand smoke and other forms of pollution.
Emphysema occurs when the tiny alveoli (or air sacs) inside the lungs become damaged and stop working properly. Chronic bronchitis is a long-term inflammation of the airways, and many people have both conditions, so they are not referred to under the same general term.
Tests needed to rule out a fatal lung disease
The main test a GP or other doctor would do to rule out COPD is called spirometry, which shows how well your lungs are working.
To do this, patients are asked to blow into a machine called a spirometer after inhaling a medication called a bronchodilator, which helps widen the airways.
A spirometer takes two measurements: the amount or volume of air a person exhales in one second and the total volume.
These readings are compared to normal results for a person of the same age and this can show if there is a problem with the airways.
If COPD is suspected, additional tests will be performed including a chest X-ray, blood tests (which will rule out other conditions that cause similar symptoms, including anemia), and possible cardiac tests.
Although there is no cure for COPD, the earlier it is diagnosed, the sooner treatment can begin, which can relieve the worst symptoms and even slow the progression of the disease.
The most common early warning symptoms of COPD include shortness of breath, coughing up phlegm or a chest pain that won’t go away, wheezing or chest tightness, fatigue or tiredness, and frequent chest infections.
There is no cure… but there is hope for patients
COPD patients are provided with inhalers, similar to those used by asthma patients.
There are several of these, including bronchodilators, medications that make breathing easier by relaxing and widening the airways, and corticosteroids, which can help reduce inflammation in the airways.
Other medications may also be offered if inhalers alone cannot control symptoms.
Dietary advice and psychological and emotional support are also offered that can help patients better cope with symptoms. For more information visit Asthma + Lung In the United Kingdom and the United States COPD Foundation or the American Lung Association.
Patients may also benefit from pulmonary rehabilitation, an exercise program that can improve endurance and fitness in people with lung conditions such as COPD.
